The Next Generation
by Venting Lions
Summary: When two outstanding ninja meet, they must overcome their differences to protect the nations of shinobi from an outbreak of war. Jutsus, Violence, Plot, and Flashbacks, Woohoo! Please R & R! First Fic, please read! Read, read, read!
1. Information Page

Characters:

_Hibuko _

"Light Armory" Chuunin Level Ninja from Kumogakure, Ninjutsu Specialist, Raiton Kekkei Genkai.

_Karu_

"To Cut" Chuunin Level Ninja from Kusagakure, Weapon Specialist, Hitohougan Kekkei Genkai.

_Sarubi_

"Beautiful Monkey" Genin Level Ninja from Kirigakure, Hyoton Kekkei Genkai.

_Hitake_

_Rokudaime_

The Sixth ()kage, in this case Hokage. Who is it? Just wait and see!

_Otokage_

"Sound Shadow" The newly established leader of the sound village. Sorry, but I can't tell you yet who it is!

_Okamazuki_

This is a tricky name "Oka – Mountain" "Ma – Pure" "Zu – Figure" "Ki – Spirit" Basically, "Pure Mountain Spirit." DO NOT CONFUSE oka-ma with okama (gay person). He is Karu's blood partner, a giant bear, who can come to aid in battle.

_Raimaru_

"Lightning 'boy'" (maru – suffix for boys' names) He is the blood partner of Hibuko, a giant white tiger that can be summoned to aid in battle.

_Yamakuzure_

"Landslide" The pupil of Lord Orochimaru, earth element specialty.

_Kusuriya_

"Chemist" Another head pupil of Orochimaru, name speaks for itself…

_Orochimaru_

To those of you who don't know who this is… I'm ashamed of you.

_Shouheki Toku_

"Barrier Shield" Student of Orochimaru, has a unique summoning skill (you'll see).

Info:

_Kusagakure_ – Village Hidden in the Grass.

_Kumogakure_ – Village Hidden in the Clouds.

_Shakuzetsujin_ – Red Tongued Demon (in this case a giant dragon/toad/alligator monster).

_Kirigakure_ – Village Hidden in the Mist.

_Hyoton _– "Ice Release" Same bloodline limit as Haku's.

_Hitohougan_ – "Person Seeking Eye" Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai that changes the nature of the user's eye to become a device that sees life-force in shades of brightness, instead of reflected light.

_Raiton_ – "Lightning Release" Kekkei Genkai that allows the user to easily convert chakra into electricity.

(if you need basic info about the world of Naruto use wikipedia, it is really great…)

_I will try to update this sheet but if you need more info be sure to email me or send me a message, my email is_


	2. Rain

The Next Generation

Rain

* * *

The young ninja crouched in the bush, hardly blinking, as he waited patiently with a kunai in both hands. The headband he wore around his neck would flash every time the sun emerged from behind the heavy and foreboding cloud coverage.

His mission was about to reach its climax as his target for capture approached. The facts were laid out clearly in front of him: his target was the daughter of a prestigious feudal lord of the land of fire and she was being escorted by a seemingly low leveled ninja from the village hidden in the clouds, the winds above were moving with the ninja to provide some shadow in which he could hide in. This could fool some Chuunin level ninja's but not this one, he knew that the ninja was using a basic jutsu, most likely "fuuton: kumo**seichuu no jutsu"**, to control the winds in the sky and hide him but it was actually just broadcasting exactly where he was.

The symbol of grass that was engraved in his headband stopped distorting light onto the leaves of the bush he was hid in as the clouds above were denser and blocked the sun. The enemy was getting closer and closer.

Apparently, half of the world wanted this girl, Hitake, in their custody as her father was one of the powerful daimyo of the fire country. He held an important place in current political affairs and the daimyo could be forced to make a decision he wouldn't regularly if his daughter wasn't in the hands of his political rivals. His village leader, the first Kusakage, had inadvertently accepted a mission that, if successful, would cause another outbreak of war. The balance of the lands of Grass, Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Sound, Lightning, and Stars (the eight major countries at that time) was like a frightened cat standing on a pole.

He heard a faint rustle along the path and he stiffened silently, a few raindrops fell on his head, a lucky break since it would be easier to be silent when there was already the noise of rain on the trees above.

He looked down the path and saw a white tiger the height of a man being ridden by a tired looking girl with a parasol running _fast_ beside a cloaked ninja that looked maybe sixteen or seventeen, about the same age as him. He realized that the rain was probably a best case scenario because the trip wire he set between two trees wouldn't be seen in the shadows and mud. He had rigged eight kunai's to launch from eight different angles to ensure a hit when the trip wire was pulled by one of the targets.

As reached the trap with surprising speed, the giant tiger pulled the trip wire seemingly without noticing it and the kunais ahead creaked for a fraction of a second and flew. They were fast but the lightning ninja was faster; he looked dead at the grass ninja and with only a finger prodded each and every kunai lightly so that they all went off course and none hit. It seemed as if time had slowed down.

The grass ninja processed the glare he had received a millisecond ago, that had seemed like half a minute ago and decided that if he was seen he might as well take immediate action.

In a blur he jumped out of the bush with a kunai in each hand, and with his feet tapping along the dampening ground, he followed them.

He clamped one of the kunai in his teeth and made three hands seals with his free hand as well as a mangled phrase from his occupied mouth and two vines grew instantaneously from his back. They formed two tentacle arms and grabbed two kunai from his pack. He sprinted with inhuman speed up to the targets ahead of him and reached for the girl's back. The hazel eyed ninja from the land of lightning glared with a cool ferocity at the blue eyed grass ninja and tapped his finger, effectively shocking him with his Raiton, his bloodline limit, the ability that allows easy transmogrification of chakra to electricity. The pale haired ninja from the village hidden in the grass screamed inwardly and leapt towards a tree branch where he spit on his burn to cool it down and threw his kunai at the ninja. They both were deflected by the tail of the great arctic tiger and that was the moment that Karu, the grass ninja, got serious.

He pulled out a scroll from his waist pouches and bit his thumb to produce blood. He swiped his bloody thumb across the bottom of the scroll and with a muffled cry he summoned his creature. It was a bear, at least twelve feet tall, its black fur contrasted violently with his blue eyes to form an intelligent but wild image. The beast carried a large ceramic jar on its back.

A gravely tone sprung from its mouth, "Karu-san, are these your targets?"

With an enormous claw he gestured towards the ninja, the tiger, and the girl while galloping with shocking grace and stealth through the path.

"Yes, Okamazuki, they are our targets," the shinobi responded with a smile, anticipating the upcoming battle as he hopped on the bear's back. They were catching up with the targets ahead slowly and Karu reread the instructions for his mission:

Capture the Daughter of Daimyo of the Land of Fire Kazanami; she will be under her true name, Hitake. Rid her of her guard(s) as well. Take caution, this is an A ranked Mission.

Karu snorted, he was the best Chuunin of his village. He was able to do _any_ mission, _alone_. He was amused by the succinct fashion of writing his leader used, to the point and simple. He looked at the stats of the guardian of Hitake.

He didn't know how his boss got the information on the guardians of his enemies but he appreciated it and let it be. He admired his ninjutsu and taijutsu skills and from the chi ranking he figured that he must have a Kekkei-genkai. That must've been the jolt he received on his hand. He had studied the clans of the Land of Lightning and the most common Kekkei-genkai was the translation of chakra into electricity, the very move that converted a slight amount of chakra into a painful burn.

He chuckled once again, his opponent was strong in three sections but he calculated mentally that he could win because his strong taijutsu, weaponry skills, and his ninjutsu could easily counter many of the electrical attacks that were common in the Land of Lightning.

Okamazuki glanced at his rider with a sharp blue eye, _same egotistical Karu_, as they tensed themselves for the unavoidable future battle that would take place on this very path, between grass and lightning.


	3. Poison and Clouds

As the bear and his rider, Karu, were closing the gap between their enemies, their enemies stopped to face them head on. Even the girl, Hitake, didn't have an ounce of fear shown on her face, she must've been confident with her guardian.

The lightning shinobi addressed Karu, "What is your name, shinobi of grass?"

"It's customary for you to disclose that information first," the Karu retorted.

"It's Takigawa Hibuko, call me Hibuko, village hidden in the clouds," he smiled, "You?"

"As if I'd tell you, _Hibuko_. Surrender the girl now; I don't especially want to hurt you."

Hibuko glared with his hazel eyes, sighed and said, "If you leave us alone I won't kill you."

Karu sneered and his vine tentacles retreated into his back and he formed three hand seals and chakra burst from his hands in an instant.

"Since you're about to die… I'll tell you my name: Furui Karu. Back to business: Nenten Tsuta no Jutsu!"

Hundreds of vines erupted from the packed soil of the path and from trees and roots and attempted to wrap themselves around Hibuko, the great arctic tiger, and Hitake. The tiger leapt into a tree with incredible agility and escaped the tangling vines.

Hibuko raised his right arm and bent his left and formed a basic hand sign to gather chakra, his raised arm glowed with chakra and clouds gathered overhead.

Karu gasped, he wasn't a normal Chuunin either, he was exceptionally powerful, like Karu. _This will be interesting_…

The vines were approaching Hibuko rapidly but as the clouds darkened overhead, Hibuko's hand steadily grew brighter. After a millisecond of complete silence, a moment that seemed much longer, an impossibly brilliant bolt of lightning erupted from the immense clouds and hit Hibuko's raised arm, the jolt shook his body but he didn't suffer damage as he transferred the energy into his other hand with shot the lightning into one hundred divided bolts and they burned a circle in the ground. The circle was engraved into the path and sparked violently, the vines that reached the circle combusted spontaneously and withered without touching the lightning shinobi.

"Another handy usage of my bloodline limit, eh?"

Karu smiled, he knew that Hibuko wouldn't be defeated with one of his less intense jutsus.

Hibuko saw that Karu had pulled out two strange weapons with utter confidence and knew that this was to be a fight, most likely, to the bitter death. _Unless I can convince him that defending Hitake is for the greater good of the shinobi world_.

The large weapons in Karu's hands were like kunai but they were conjoined with a wrapped handle in the center so that the blades emerged from both bases of the cylindrical handle. Each of the blades was at least two feet long, and including the handles, each weapon was at least four and a half feet long in total. They were cruel looking blades and from Karu's stance, Hibuko observed he could use them well.

Hibuko saw that this was a situation that called for his ultimate weapons, his family inherited dual katanas. The hand carved hilts of ivory depicted brilliant storms and lightning and as soon as he pulled the blades out of their sheaths, a chilly wind was whirling around the cold steel blades.

Karu charged with speed only known by shinobi, his dual giant double-bladed kunai-swords behind him and when he was a foot in front of his enemy, he brought one of his weapons in front of him to plunge into the body of Hibuko as he stood with a blade at _en garde _position and the other behind him ready to attack. The kunai-sword was lunged at Hibuko but suddenly a strong wind pushed his arm away with lunatic strength. Karu lunged his other arm at the wind protected Hibuko but after a few second of struggle it was forced back as well. Karu knew that his taijutsu wouldn't stop at that feeble stabbing attempt. His grim determination brought up on of his sinewy legs to assail the ninja. After his first kick was thrown aside he utilized his momentum to swing and twist his other foot at the ninja. When the second kick was blocked he corkscrewed his first foot to assault Hibuko again. His foot hit the shell of wind near the feet of the ninja, were the aegis was weakest.

Karu saw the brief weakening in the swirling air current and twirled his torso and again plunged his blade into the vortex. It penetrated, but was caught in a started hand of Hibuko. Despite the pain he felt from gripping the cold steel blade, he quickly pulsed a current through the metal. Karu winced and backed away from the ninja. Hibuko had retracted his wind shield and sheathed his katanas to block the stab from Karu. _Why did I block with my hand and not my sword?_ Hibuko asked himself, the moment of battle had proved that his taijutsu skills and instinct weren't as good as they should be.

Karu back stepped along the muddy ground, finding a comfortable place to set up his defensive position.

"Tsuchi Shuriken no Jutsu!" Karu placed his hands in the seal of the Dragon and then the seal of the Bull. Fragments of rock rose from the packed dirt and launched themselves at Hibuko, who leapt behind a tree. The shurikens of earth lodged themselves into the tree but did no harm to Hibuko. Hibuko poked his head out from behind the tree but saw an approaching flock of shurikens. The Rainin ducked to avoid the flying metal and performed an outstanding series of hand signs.

"Ikazuchi no Kiba!"

Lightning spewed from Hibuko's hands and took the form of a fanged jaw as it flew at Karu. The electrical mouth rammed into the tree where Karu was previously standing, transforming that proud trunk into splinters.

Karu had rolled to the right and began a direct assault on Hibuko. In a mad flail of kunai blades (the knives were wrapped in cloth to ensure no electrical damage to the hands holding them), Karu reached a stalemate with Hibuko.

Okamazuki slashed his clawed forearm at the tiger who hopped up onto another, higher, thinner branch. The arctic tiger growled and then opened his fanged maw. From his throat came a thunderous roar that made the leaves of the trees blow away swiftly and the branch beneath Okamazuki snapped. The bear grabbed the branch above and swung himself up onto it and belched acid at the tiger. The acid burned away the tree branch were the tiger had just been, however, the white-furred beast was already in the air and landed on another branch.

In a majestic, deep voice the arctic tiger spoke, "Princess Hitake, are you alright?"

She responded in a swooned voice, "I'm… okay, Raimaru."

"Good, this will get intense, so hold on tight!"

The Raimaru's pupils dilated while his claws glowed like miniature slices of a sun. He leapt, like lightning, and landed, like thunder, on the branch next to Okamazuki. The bear back stepped and loosened the cork on the ceramic jar on his back and mud slid out quickly and formed a glob around the tree branch.

The tiger crouched after seeing the mud but lunged at Okamazuki since the mud stayed still. While Raimaru's back was turned, the mud quickly formed the image of Karu.

The bear chuckled, "Tiger, I don't really want to kill you… But I can't speak for Karu…"

The tiger looked back at the mud, which now was a perform mud clone of Karu.

"You see, if I ever was in tight situation, I carry mud around on my back, mud that forms into Karu to help me out, see?"

As Karu's mud clone formed hand seals the tiger slashed viciously with his claws…

Karu quickly shifted his hands so that one of his blades was blocking both of his opponents as he formed single hand seals. He felt the viscous liquid form in his throat, he waited until he had the exact, perfect amount and spit the purple liquid with all his force at Hibuko's face.

It hit his eyes and Hibuko immediately released his weapons. He clutched his sizzling face and fell over backwards on the roots of a tree.

Karu pulled two shurikens with wire from one of his numerous pouches inside his coat and threw them past the tree Hibuko was leaning on, so when he pulled on the wires, they jerked back and circled the limp figure against the tree. Karu pulled the wires tight and leapt at Hibukan.

Karu grinned and stood in front of the captured lightning ninja, "So, this is the best the village hidden in the clouds can produce? Disappointing."

Karu's pupils contracted as he saw what two things lay on the ground on both his right and left. _Explosive Tags!_ They were smoking already; Karu realized he didn't have time to get away so he braced himself for the impact of the explosion but none came. Instead he saw two bolts of electricity bolt out of the tags and surround him. They drew tight around his arms and torso and he noticed they took form of two dragons. He winced and fell on the floor; his bones were about to snap when they finally stopped constricting.

Hibuko lifted his head and through his hair his hazel eyes glinted, "Now, let's talk."

Karu was shocked at what he had just heard, but Hibuko was rejoicing that he didn't have to kill him; he had actually started to enjoy his company. If only Hibuko could convince Karu to join his mission.

"Why did you take this mission?"

_What, is this an interrogation?_ Karu thought but said, "An order from my leader, why else?"

_Of course_ Hibuko thought, slightly relieved, _if this isn't personal I can still sway him."_

"Release your bear and I'll release my tiger, they won't do either of us any good"

"Very well, Okamazuki! Kai!" He shouted into the distance.

Hibuko did the same; they heard the faint _poof_ in the distance as their blood-bound animal partners teleported back to their homes.

"Do you feel especially compelled to kill Hitake?"

"None other than to fulfill my mission."

"Do you know why your leaders and three fourths of the shinobi world want her captive?"

"No."

"They want her dead because her father is an extremely important figure in the balancing of the powers within the shinobi countries. If a country had his daughter in their _custody_ he would be easily manipulated to make a decision that would benefit a single country.

"The world of shinobi should be a place of peace. As you know, approximately five years ago, an individual by the name of _Lord_ Orochimaru strived to invoke war upon the shinobi world because he thought that war was the only reason shinobi improved themselves."

_Lord Orochimaru, that brings back a lot of memories_, Karu thought while Hibuko blabbed on about world peace.

"However, the shinobi way of life is a form of art, not of war. It will be preserved whether it is times of war or times of peace."

"Yes, I see know. But don't even ask me to join you."

_Oh, no… _Hibuko thought, _what part of my logic didn't appeal to him?_

"No need to ask me, I already agreed," Karu smiled.

_What?_

"I knew from the second you started using _logic_ against me that you wanted me to join you and I already thought it over and decided I would. I have a personal connection with my leader, the Kusakage. I know that he doesn't always pick the most… morally sound missions. I knew from the start that this was walking the line and I've weighed it over and will your team to protect… Hitake, is it?

"I will deal with my leader after the mission to explain. However, I have one condition…"


	4. Mists of Death

"One condition?" this raised Hibuko's attention and the hairs on his neck stood up as Karu pulled out a blank scroll.

Karu bit his forefinger and it bled profusely into a vial he held below that looked like an inkwell. Once it was full he pulled out a brush and started writing.

_What?_ Thought Hibuko as he stared at the characters he was writing.

"Read it and sign it with your name, in your blood," said Karu nonchalantly.

Hibuko read it and it basically was a peace treaty except that if it was broken and one of the two signers died at the other's hands (on purpose of course) the murderer would die as well. Once he finished his name in crude blood finger painting, the scroll flashed with a strange chakra and it rolled up and leapt into Karu's hands. Hibuko tucked away the copy he made with a jutsu and stood up. The coils of wire were loosened and Hibuko released the lighting constrictions that had still faintly tangled around Karu.

"WHAT?" Hitake screamed as the story has told to her of her newfound guardian. She didn't trust the blond grass shinobi at all and her hand was often times at the butt of her crossbow. After two days of glaring and avoiding, princess Hitake and Karu began to get along.

It was a burden to have to walk with someone that was not a shinobi because they couldn't leap from branch to branch of the surrounding forests unless they summoned Okamazuki and Raimaru. The two ninjas generally didn't summon them if it wasn't an emergency. However longer the trip would be from north western the land of earth to the southern land of fire would be, the time to talk would be nice. Unfortunately, the ice that had to be broken to allow pleasant conversation was tough to crack.

It was the third day they were together and they still felt uncomfortable together. Karu was busy scanning the surrounding areas for possible threats and Hibuko was busy either switching places with Karu or studying from one of the many ninjutsu scrolls that he always carried around with him.

"Ninjutsu? You seem to specialize in it," Karu commented as he flicked his eyes across the dense vegetation. He activated the dōjutsu unique to his clan that allowed him to see not reflected light waves but the organic life of the things around him. He saw the vague green of the brush around him and the slightly more vibrant green of the trees and the null of color that was the ground. Suddenly there was a flash of orange in his vision and he knew it was a sentient life-form. It hesitated in the tree and he recognized its shape as a human and its behavior as a ninja. He knew that the hitai-ate headband the enemy ninja was wearing wouldn't have a discernable mark in his biosensory kekkei-genkai and that the lifeless metal was just a black void in his vision.

"Yeah, now that we are not a threat to each other I guess I could show you some stuff," Hibuko offered friendlily.

"Yeah, sounds good, but don't the trees cast long shadows today?" Karu slipped the signal message into his sentence.

Hitake and Hibuko suppressed any panicked emotions as they heard the signal that meant there were enemies nearby. They resumed a casual and muffled conversation as they all prepared themselves for the upcoming conflict.

Karu glanced through the forest and saw that now there were three ninjas and he said, "Those three trees in particular have long shadows. I can't tell what kind of trees they are though."

Hibuko decoded the encoded message instantaneously and as he feigned a stretch he grabbed a kunai. Karu unfastened one of his double bladed kunai swords casually and they continued leisurely down the path. Their ears were now listening intently for any movement to their left in the trees.

There was a tiny rustle in a bush right ahead and with the slightest flick of motion Hibuko hurled his kunai at the hidden ninja. There was a louder noise and a ninja emerged holding the kunai in his gloved hand.

"Nice shot, hand over the girl," called the ninja, who was now identified as shinobi from Village Hidden in the Mist.

Karu just laughed as he now noticed the kunai had a wire attached. He saw that Hibuko was slowly converting some chakra into electricity as to not be noticed, the gloved Mist ninja grimaced as he saw that fighting two Chuunin wouldn't be easy. Karu knew from experience that the pain the ninja would receive from the electrical burst would most likely knock him unconscious and as he saw the wire start to glow he knew it would happen soon.

Hibuko made a swift motion with his hands and a jolt of energy passed through the metal wire and hit the ninja. There was a brilliant flash and a burnt smell in the air but the ninja still stood. In fact, Hibuko and Karu were both distressed at the smirk on his face.

"I'm wearing rubber gloves you idiots," stated the ninja, whose gloves couldn't conduct electricity. The wire was molten from the excessive energy that just jolted through it and this made Hibuko release the metal but the gloved ninja was protected.

Hibuko sensed Hitake's growing panic and he glanced at her to reassure her but inwardly he was losing his confidence. His eyes flicked through the trees as he saw some movements, _if they're all this well prepared, we'll lose for sure but maybe if Karu has something…_

Coincidentally Karu did have a ninjutsu that would help this situation.

"Matsuri Tsuta Amimono no Jutsu!" He shouted as he finished some brief hand signs. Ivy sprung forth from the packed ground and with a life of its own it attacked the Mist Shinobi who fought back with a kunai. He managed to slice some of the ivy but it kept coming and eventually it grabbed his legs and crept up along his torso.

_Thank you Karu! And I almost forgot about Raimaru and Okamazuki, this battle is ours!_ Hibuko thought optimistically.

To the amazement and horror of the ninjas and princess, tendrils of murky liquid rose from the ground around the entangled ninja and hung suspended in the air. The pupils of Karu and Hibuko contracted as they sensed an enormous chakra presence around the ninja.

Before Karu's next intake of breath the tendrils of liquid exploded into a dense mist. Karu felt his ivy cocoon unravel as their enemy escaped.

Using the flicker technique, Shunshin no Jutsu, Hibuko instantaneously grabbed the princess and lined up back to back with Karu to ensure absolute defense.

Karu's pupils and irises fused into one black dot as his kekkei genkai dojutsu was activated. He saw naught but a faintly glowing fog around them and the faint glow of trees in the background.

_Wait, the fog is alive?_ Karu was shocked, he focused on some nearby fog and realized it must have bacteria densely packed into the droplets. _If we breathe this stuff in, we'll die!_

Karu grabbed the other two and jumped above the fog utilizing chakra to strengthen his jump. Their hearts leapt into their throats as the vertical g-force took effect and then the rest of their organs leapt into their throats as they saw the overwhelming fog below. The liquid opal blanket that lay over the trees only allowed the very tips of the trees to escape the swirling gas below.

In the nanosecond that they hung in the air, a hundred feet above the trees, Hibuko formulated his plan. While Hitake was speechless and absolutely horrified, Karu and Hibuko exchanged a meaningful glance.

With sound breaking speed Hibuko pulled out a scroll from a pouch on his belt. It unraveled itself in the wind as the Lightning shinobi formed a single seal and bit his fingertip.

"Kuchiyose: Tatsumaki Soyokaze!" Hibuko had the unfurled scroll clenched in his fist as he shouted his technique. There was an explosion of smoke and out of the scroll that Hibuko was holding erupted powerful, and warm, winds. The zephyr formed a whirlwind around the group and the mists around them were repelled as smoke is repelled with a fan.

The whirlwinds subsided and so did the deadly fumes around them.

"Chikushou!" exclaimed Hibuko, "that was my last Zephyr Whirlwinds scroll! Do you know how long it took to write that one?"

"You can _write_ scrolls?" Karu was amazed.

"Uh, yeah. Let's talk later, okay?" said Hibuko pointed to three shurikens that surrounded them and were lodged halfway into the packed dirt. Karu observed that their courses were altered from the winds earlier but they still came from three sides.

_At the speed the wind was going those shuriken must have been going very fast. _He did a quick mental calculation and pinned the approximate places that the enemies were now.

Suddenly maniacal laughter sprung from all degrees and swarms of shurikens launched themselves from the surrounding flora. As the shurikens arced in at them, Karu heard Hitake's scream and then he felt immeasurable pain blossom from his entire front. He saw that he was perforated by shurikens and he found him self unable to move his legs. Panic was welling inside his chest as he saw another volley headed for the group.

He looked at his group quickly and saw naught but complete astonishment, pain, and horror. Again he flicked his eyes to the horde of shurikens which would inevitably hit and he closed his eyes.

_I will not die. I will not die. I will not die until I know why that happened. I can't die until I realize why Orochimaru did that to me. I need to know! I won't die!_ Karu's past flashed before his eyes and he saw the nightmarish entrance that had entranced him a thousand times before. He saw himself in the tiny cage that wouldn't hold anyone past the age of six. He saw Orochimaru and another old man who he still didn't know grinning at him as they pulled out the same syringe they used on him everyday. He saw himself in a large underground cave that he had been force to "train" in everyday and master his kekkei genkai under the surveillance of many evil ninjas. He saw his eyes as they melded into a new shape and he saw himself finally escaping the underground village. He also remembered the last words Orochimaru had said to him and he knew that he couldn't die until he killed Orochimaru and understood what those words meant.

_Think, think, think!_ He screamed at himself as the next flock of sharp metal stars approached at breakneck speed.


	5. The Shakuzetsujin

_Genjutsu!_ He knew it must be genjutsu unless the enemy had an amazing trap-setter on their team who could create such a massive trap in such little time. He turned on his biosensory dojutsu and looked down at himself. There were no absences in life covering his body like there appeared to be in normal vision. His body was as normal as it ever was and wasn't interrupted by cold metal stars.

"Kai!" He released the genjutsu with a shout as soon as he was sure that the shurikens were naught but illusion. He immediately was relieved of the pain that shot through his body from the wave of shurikens that had impaled his torso and he could no longer see the volley of shurikens approaching from all sides.

He remembered that what seemed like an hour ago his mind was racing through his painful past as he watched thousands of shurikens flying towards his body. He glanced at the other two and saw a look of terror twist into a face filled with incredulous pain. His blue eyes melded into a solid mass and he saw that there was one ninja hiding in a bush in a stance that gave his genjutsu usage away. He also saw two other ninja performing an extensive summoning technique.

In a futile attempt to awaken his partners, he pinched a pressure point that caused physical pain that would normally rouse anyone from a genjutsu trance. He realized he would have to distract the genjutsu specialist. As he saw his friends' faces wince he leapt into the forest to attack the genjutsu specialist.

With his twin dual kunai swords out he assaulted the opponent head on to add an element of surprise. Unfortunately the ninja knew he had broken out of the induced gen-trance and had already set a trap. As the trip wire was pulled Karu saw the kunai coming and with a quick twist of his wrist, he swirled his weapon to gracefully greet the kunai with the all too familiar clash of metal on metal. The knife was deflected into a tree and Karu resumed his attack on the ninja. With a quick thrust and twist he gutted the enemy. He smiled as he saw the astonished eyes.

_What?_ The form coughed up water, not blood, but water.

"Mizu Bunshin?" He gasped with surprise as the ninja splashed as it disintegrated into a lifeless puddle. He then realized it couldn't have been a water clone because he had seen the life-form with his bloodline limit. _Mizu __Kawarimi no Jutsu_, he realized the ninja must've replaced himself with some nearby water at the last second.

Hibuko found himself wondering where he was for just an instant until he saw Hitake, then he knew exactly what was going on.

"It was genjutsu!" He shouted.

Hitake rubbed her neck and moved her face around as she felt stiff.

"That really hurt. I think I'm scarred for life," she joked around to lighten the situation but they both knew that they were in a lot of trouble.

Hibuko almost chuckled but he then muttered, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Raimaru!"

The giant tiger appeared with smoke and a bang and in his elegant voice obediently asked, "What can I do for you, Hibuko-sama?"

"Protect the princess. There is a genjutsu specialist around, another powerful ninja, and another ninja that we haven't met yet. Karu is after the genjutsu specialist, I presume, and I'm going to find the other two."

"Hai."

"It's coming, Tsakuno-sama," declared the ninja who had not yet encountered the group. The two were performing a summoning technique that would get them the princess in no time.

"Hai, Chouramu. It will be here soon," the emblems on the large scroll were emanating an intense light and heat as the climax of the technique was coming.

Smoke rose from the symbols and in an absurdly large cloud of mist appeared the beast.

The giant clusters of muscles that were tout in the forearms of the beast were shelled with scales the size of human heads. At the joint between the humongous clawed arms and the massive barrel like torso were calcium buildups that jutted out like horns. The belly of the beast was brushing against the ground as it heaved in giant gulps of oxygen, effectively clearing nearby brush.

"Wau! Tsakuno-sama! It's even greater that in the training!"

"Hai, this is the lord of the swamp beasts, the scrolls in the practice sessions were lesser in rank. We will have no trouble decimating the pathetic Chuunin with the power of the Shakuzetsujin."

The beast's alligator-like tail flicked and the trees were ripped savagely from the ground behind it. The creature's absence of neck was made up for by the immense bone spikes erupting from its "cheeks." The Shakuzetsujin's contracted slivers of pupils shifted around as he searched for the allies and the enemies. He felt the familiar chakra of his new blood allies and continued searching. The subtle energies of his enemies and their semi-hidden fear burst into his semiconscious mind and he lowered his head.

"Kuso," muttered an unsure Karu. He felt the huge chakra present nearby and with his bloodline limit he saw Hibuko in a tree nearby. He also "saw" the large tiger and the daimyo's daughter in a defensive stance in a small clearing. He caught a glimpse of two concentrations of energy running through the trees. His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes formed into angry slivers as he pulled out a large scroll and a kunai and began pursuit.


	6. Ancient Memories

Hibuko saw the behemoth through the branches; its strangely proportioned head was turning slowly around, presumably searching for him or the others. He panted once and his wet palms grasped his katana with a cold grip. The scabbard scraped against the metal as he drew the lustrous blade. The charge holding blade began to glow as he converted a bit of his chakra into an electrical current. The current flowed into the blade and his grip once again tightened.

His quadriceps coiled as he crouched into his springing position. He looked at his target. His grip tightened. His courage flared. In an instantaneous motion, he began to leap, but the only thing that moved was his heart, which flew up into his throat. He heard splintering wood. He heard a scream and his vision seemed to shutter and dim. He felt no air in his chest as he realized the scream was his. His katana was still gripped in the rigor mortis-like claw that was his hand. His pupils shifted in panic and in a brief instant he saw the absence of material beneath his feet and a giant dragon-like tail shifting away.

His fingers moved on their own to sheath his katana and formed a series of seals. He felt the swelling of his chest and he recognized the jutsu he had formed unconsciously. To release the pent up thunder in his chest he screamed, "Kyoubou Rakurai no Jutsu!"

Frenzied bolts of electricity poured from his mouth directly at the giant monster. They met it instantly and coursed all over its swampy skin, the monster convulsed for a second. It roared and the debris around the falling Hibuko was cleared away. Along with the tree fragments, Hibuko was thrown back against a thick trunk. He slid down the barky surface, efficiently ripping his cloak and tearing his skin. Hibuko landed at the base with this face contorted in pain and his eyes closed in semi consciousness.

The snakelike red tongue of the behemoth akuma approached the lightning shinobi. The gargantuan oozing tongue snaked around the trunk to constrict around Hibuko. It paused for a second before it squeezed and when it began Hibuko was no longer there.

As the tongue was wrapped fully around the trunk, Hibuko was on top of the saliva coated muscle. He took a rope-attached kunai and plunged it into the massive tongue and then connected with the tree. He poured chakra into this arm to give him extra strength and the kunai was successfully through both the tongue and the tree. Hibuko looped the end of the rope and the kunai into a knot and placed a tag on it so that it could not be broken.

He leapt away from the tangled tongue and tree using _hirameki no shintai_ flashed towards the creature's wide head.

The moment of confusion that ensued was all Hibuko needed to defeat the monster. With both his katanas unsheathed he landed upon the creature's murky forehead. He plunged both of his already charged blades into the eyes of the beast. A roar ensued and the Shakuzetsujin's tongue ripped the giant tree from its roots to coil back into his wide, froglike, mouth. The enormous red tongue retracted in a way that made the tree come to him vertically. The two ends of the tree smashed the blinded monster's lips and the concussive force knocked it backwards.

It landed on its back. Hibuko ran down its neck and onto its soft, creamy belly using his chakra to keep his feet attached to the beast. He summoned a force of chakra and in a supersonic display of hand signs converted the chakra effectively into the perfect jutsu to finish the beast off.

"Kyokan Seitekikago Kansei!" Screamed Hibuko and from his entire body sprung forth veins of condensed electricity which shot at the beast as lightning. They each bent at certain angles once they got close enough and then again they bent and reconnected. The power streamed from the ninja until they formed the cage around the creature.

The energy formed a vibrant web around the blinded, unconscious behemoth and Hibuko hurdled out of the cage. He jumped onto a branch of one of the intact trees in the desolated clearing.

His arms were left at his sides limp as he began to focus a little less than half the sum of his chakra in his palm.

_No, Hibuko_. Hibuko could hear one of his previous sensei's training in his head. _Focus all your chakra into the palm as if your life depended on it. Put your life on the line!_

He smiled as he remembered that day, when he had successfully learned _that_ technique in one day. He had completely baffled his sensei.

The chakra began to take form of a sphere in his hand and it took on color as well: a faint glowing blue.

_Now use your chakra to burst the balloon. Feel the water and make it spin._ His blonde sensei had given him too much information, one hint too many. Hibuko knew exactly how to burst the balloon, his only issue then was limited chakra.

"_Hai, Kitsune-sensei!"_ He recalled his disrespectful name for the sixth he had thought of.

"This is for you, Rokudaime!"

He plummeted from the branch in a high speed dive with the powerful rasengan in his fist.

_Control the chakra, then add power, and then maintain it in a sphere._

Hibuko had performed the jutsu on his second try to the utter amazement of his sensei.

"_Kitsune-sensei? Kitsune-sensei? Rokudaime-sama? Naruto?!_" he had to slap his baffled sensei to awaken him from his shock.

"_One day? It took me three weeks to master that technique! And both my predecessors took three years!"_

Hibuko could only laugh in remembrance but the flashback only saddened him. He hadn't seen either of his sensei in at least two years.

His falling mass was at the critical moment when he shoved his open palm against the Shakuzetsujin's belly. The spinning force tore open the soft skin. Nausea took over all of Hibuko's senses and he fell off the beast backwards as it roared its way back to consciousness. His feet struggled to hold the body upright as the torso tried to maintain the contents of his stomach. His hands grasped his chest as he heaved and his head fought violently to control his consciousness and work on a plan to destroy the huge enemy.

His vision cleared and his legs won with their battle with gravity and he knew how to finish this. It wouldn't give him much chakra left, but he knew it would destroy the behemoth Shakuzetsujin.


	7. Leaves and Fruit

Karu was pursuing the two flighty ninjas through the vegetation and forests. They were dead ahead and Karu needed no kekkei genkai to see them.

_Not exactly the bravest ninjas._

His right fist was clenched around a kunai and his left held a scroll firmly. His teeth gritted with ferocity as he forced chakra painfully into his feet to enhance his leaping. The mist he had inhaled was still taking effect, making chakra molding painful.

Good thing was, he was used to pain.

His ankle rolled as he misplaced his foot in exhaustion. He fell silently to the ground, his foot was temporarily unusable; he winced as he ripped off his shoe. Calmly but swiftly he wrapped his foot with medical cloth.

The scroll and knife he had held were replaced as he readied his hand for the summoning technique.

"Kuchiyose: Okamazuki!"

The bear needed no explanation as he saw his master's wrapped ankle.

"That way," Mumbled Karu, pointing towards the two running ninja.

"Hai, Karu-sama," The bear sniffed them out and began his surprisingly graceful hunt.

Karu readied himself to attack from his mount. Silence was forced into his mind as he clarified his thoughts. He needed to have quick hands for the upcoming clash. Techniques needed to flow from him like water through a river.

_The gen specialist will attempt to immobilize us, while the other will attack. My best chance is to immobilize the genjutsu specialist before he can get me, possibly I could take the other down with the same technique. I will then finish them off_, he thought.

Okamazuki saw the tripwires ahead and elegantly leapt over all of them, his rider was breathing calmly, _he must have a plan. _

"Kami, this will be fun."

The bear chuckled, "That's the Karu I know and love!"

They both fell silent again.

"Wait! Did you see that?"

"When do these eyes miss anything?" asked the bear, "they've stopped in a grove over there.

"There's no grove over there, that's a genjutsu. They want us to think there are obstacles as we dart around slowly trying to reach them. However, we know they want to directly attack us while we can't see so we must dispel their illusion and place our own. But, you must be with me at all times since, until I get healing, I can't run on my own."

"Of course, I understand."

They departed after Karu silently dismissed the genjutsu. The bear lumbered quietly through the empty space where the other two wanted to seem like a grove. Once close enough to set his own genjutsu upon them, Karu stopped his companion.

"Okay, Okamazuki, I'm ready."

"Hai."

"Satsuki Koukotsu," he mumbled so not to alert their enemies of their presence.

In the eyes of the enemies were billions of spores floating through their air, after a short while of breathing in the illusionary spores, their chests constricted and their vision dimmed. Panic assumed its rightful place in their minds as the land around them was consumed by complete blackness.

Karu grimaced as he remembered when Orochimaru had taught him this technique. After he had taught him, Orochimaru had introduced him to the Jinmenju his enemies were about to meet by forcing the illusion upon his "student" with a maniacal delight. Days after the haunting experience he resolved that he would never use the terrible genjutsu against anyone, however, he had now used it against four people. In a surge of twisted benevolence, Karu smiled realizing that his enemies wouldn't ever have to be haunted by the Jinmenju in the trance because Karu would kill them before they exited it.

The two mist shinobi stepped silently through the pools of blackness below them. They both were unable to control their bodies as they marched in a single direction. The knowledge echoes through their minds that this was a genjutsu but neither, despite all effort, could break the trance. They weren't the first unable to break a technique created by Orochimaru.

The two shadow encased ninjas heard a distance moaning. The distance lonely wails approached like the song of a flute, wafting on a cold breeze. They unconsciously altered directions and approached to where the sound was coming from. The musical cries lured them through all of their senses; even had their muscles been under their control, they still would have approached the forlorn entity that beckoned them.

The gloved ninja felt veins of pure cold delight run through his body as a speck in the distance showed itself. His eyelids were drooping and his neck was tingling as an unimaginable sensation came over his nerves. The speck was a tree; its bark was a cracked and flakey grey which stood as a pedestal for the dark, enticing canvas that was the leaves. The details of this mysterious alluring tree became apparent as he approached: it had fruit, relatively the size of human heads, which dangled from the mane of leaves. They even saw the knots on the gnarled trunk that seemed to capture a wild intricacy unbeknownst to the world. The melodic weeping coming from the tree was now melded with imperceptible whispers. The secrets of the world, which drew any mortal close with an unquenchable thirst for that sinister knowledge.

The fruit that drooped from that mysterious tree was slowly turning and as the rotation commenced the multicolored hair that had covered the globes disappeared to reveal the other side of the large fruit. Suddenly, a queasiness and panic entered the previously soothed heads of the victims as eyes, popping with horror, appeared on the fleshy faces of the fruit. Revealed were noses and silent, screaming mouths. All the features of human heads on these human head sized fruits. Finally the drunken minds that were the mist shinobi connected the facts and it seemed that their very individual was shrinking. The sad whimpers of the Jinmenju tree suddenly erupted into a sharp shriek and then a silence. The victims looked at each other in their seemingly last glance as a deaf horror crept into every part of their bodies. Everything was null to their senses except the sight of their bodies being mangled and twisted as their very being, their very soul was being ripped out and slowly ingested.

A sharp shriek penetrated the victim's ears and a tearing agony entered their hearts. The pain spread through their bodies like wildfire through brush. This terrible genjutsu trance would have haunted their lives forever had Karu not just pierced their hearts with projectile kunais.

Karu smiled, "Too easy, eh Okamazuki?"

"Well, I presume, I didn't really do anything."

Then Karu said with a smile, "Let's go back to the princess."

Hibuko opened his eyes again from a short silence. He collected almost every last ounce of his chakra and forced it out of his seal-forming hands. The chakra was transformed into the screaming electrical energy of Chidori.

_This isn't for revenge, sensei_, though Hibuko, _this is to protect the princess._

He leapt once again above the quivering, bloody, but still breathing, mass that was the red-tongued demon. In the coup de grace, he transferred his momentum into a high-speed dive and plunged his blaring fist into the gory pit in the behemoth's belly. The monster quivered and flailed in a last shudder but it became completely still.

Hibuko was fully covered in the pulped bulk of the beast's innards. He vomited until his stomach was empty and his eyes rolled back into his heads. He stumbled deliriously out of the gruesome pit and once his feet exited the sticky viscera, he fell on his face, nearly void of chakra.


	8. Shouheki Toku

I'd like my audience (however currently limited it is) to know that this entire chapter is a flashback into Karu's past. Yep. Sorry if it's boring, it's basically summary. Also its kind of a different writing style, I'm not sure if its good at all (it might be worse) But please bear with me and review please! Bleh.

The cage was chained to the ceiling, a creaking mass of rust and filth. The figure inside was only a ten year old boy, the term 'only' used as an understatement. He had accomplished more than most pre-Genin ninja-in-training. He had been tutored by elite Kusagakure Jounin from age six; he had already discovered his family's blood line limit, his kekkei genkai. The ever so coveted _Hitohougan_, the doujutsu that allowed the user to sense the life energy of his opponents instead of the eye's normal functions, was the kekkei genkai he inherited. Merely by chance, he obtained one of the most regal kekkei genkai from the village hidden in the grass.

His grandfather was the first Kusakage, the grass shadow, the ruler of the village hidden in the grass. His esteemed grandsire was the brave ninja who united the land of grass and the lands of claw, fang, bird, tea, and vegetables through outstanding skill and courage alone. The newly established kingdom established a council of daimyo and the Kusagakure, the village hidden in the grass, was founded as its defensive force. After he finished his uniting of nations he became Kusakage, the first, and married inside his clan. As an heir to the clan, he received the strongest version of the Hitohougan yet, that power was again passed down to his approaching son.

The Kusakage's son became a ninja, a mediocre one at that (despite his bloodline power), and when he finally became a Chuunin, he embarked on a mission that took a full year. Upon return he announced his betrothal to a quiet girl from his clan, to the mixed delight of his father. He still remained a ninja after the marriage, he was currently age twenty at his wedding, until one day he went missing. In her grief, the Kusakage's daughter-in-law ran away to find her husband but neither of them were seen again.

Karu was the infant child of that pair of ninja. He was tutored by three different Jounin and by the age of eight he was extremely talented in the areas of weaponry and taijutsu (for a Genin). When he was ready to take the graduation exam, his life was altered forever.

It was a cool night; he was sleeping on the spare bed of his current tutor's treetop house. The standard housing units was a treetop house, carved into the giant trees of Kusagakure. The donut shaped housing units were the marvels of the engineering techniques of the Kusanin, and every time the young Karu escalated the secret stairs carved inside the trunks of the trees, he was amazed. The window was open; the thin glass plate was shifted so that it did not protect the chill from entering. Karu didn't mind, he liked the cool breezes; they gently pushed and pulled upon the wafting drapes in their eternal circulation; they soothed him to sleep. This night was a little different. The silence that choked the trees could have been cut by a sweep of the hand. Absolutely no leaves stirred and no nighttime birds graced the town with their gentle songs. Karu's eyes were wide open; lately his eyes were irritating him: they were constantly twitching and itching. It felt like a persistent bubble had formed behind his eye and wouldn't go away.

His sensei had just chuckled, saying that he would soon realize why his eyes were bothering him. Despite his inheritance of one of the most regal clans in the land of grass, he was uninformed of their signature genetic trait.

He stared across his room at the window, a shadow flicked past, he sat up. His arm started quivering and soon his body was shaking like an earthquake had consumed the village.

He felt his chakra circulation alter a bit, chakra was being forced from other parts of his body to his eyes. It hurt. I hurt like molten glass was flowing from his toes, through every thread that comprised his muscles and tissue to the back of his eyes. It surged and swelled. The itchy bubble was nothing comparably as the molten chakra exploded behind his eyes and his vision went temporarily black.

In a strangely colored flare, everything returned into his sight. The shades of dark green were the shrubs on the ground, he saw through the floor of the tree house like black-tinted glass. A brilliantly white and orange energy was a figure hanging from his feet, attached to the roof of the house. Karu's voice was smothered in a fit of astonishment. No sounds echoed from his throat as he attempted to scream for his sensei. Inwardly he screamed and closed his eyes, when he reopened them his sight was normal. The child Karu was completely aghast; the ghost that would haunt his illegitimate future year began its reign of terror.

"So you are the one."

The voice that tinkled from outside was the musical voice of Lord Orochimaru, presumably defeated by the legendary Uchiha, who was seeking his next "successor."

That graceful declaration sealed Karu's fate and he was captured and brought to the new fortress of Lord Orochimaru.

Karu had cried his eyes dry huddled in the fetal position inside that cage. He had desperately tried to form the proper hand signs for a replacement jutsu but his hands were bound. It had been twenty four hours since he was allowed out of the cage; the last time he was out was just another "training" session. Those miserable hours usually were comprised of Orochimaru mocking the child while the fluid that had been injected into him earlier kept him in a state of delirium. He heard the faint tapping of footsteps approaching. He had been kept in that stench and dark long enough to perfect his senses. As the staccato notes of the heels clinked against the stone floor drew near he knew that it was Kusuriya, one of Orochimaru's favorite pupils.

Her hair appeared first to Karu, the yellow candle light illuminating it. The smoke from the tallow candle was intoxicating and disgusting, but it came as a welcome source of light to Karu. The purple cascade of shimmering hair that flowed from the crest of her forehead crowned the beautiful, yet sinister, face of the girl.

Her features were all slanted downwards, giving her a sharp unapproachable look. Her eyes were a perpetual mirror of the anger and grime around her, however, on occasion her eyes transformed into liquid pools of her obvious sadistic amusement. Had she not looked like she would rip you apart for touching her (or rip you apart anyway), any man would have been immediately enamored.

He shining syringe in her hand came into view and Karu sunk, defeated. With a few more rhythmic steps she reached the chain that controlled the height of the dangling cage. Suddenly it dropped to a height that met his eyes to hers.

"I'm sorry that Orochimaru-sama isn't here to treat you today, honey."

He groaned, his eyes rolled back into his head as cold sweat formed on his brow.

"Would it be okay if I gave you your _medicine_ today? I promise Lord Orochimaru will be here tomorrow for you, okay?

"A silent scream reverberated against his petite rib cage. The needle was plunged recklessly into his side and the burning liquid burst into his veins. The tip of the needle was extracted; Kusuriya had intentionally stuck him in an existing bruise to cause more pain. With a malicious grin she turned and stepped away.

Karu felt the viscous liquid oozing through all of his veins, the cage door was left open for him and he stumbled out. His vision seemed to catch less frames per second and his muscles didn't respond immediately. He felt two sinewy arms wrap around his chest and drag him into the adjacent room: the arena.

"Hello young Karu, my name is Shouheki Toku; I will be training with you today."

Karu turned his face in terror as the sickly sweet voice of an adolescent male drifting into his ears. The young man had a weak frame but his face was the essence of strength, confidence, and a disturbing kindness. Karu's breathing grew rapid as the boy smiled at him.

"Is it nice to meet me? Karu? Can I be your friend?"

Karu's eyes dilated, he knew that this would end in a painful session. Orochimaru could be so cruel when it came to designating his opponents.

Karu was kneeling on the hard packed dirt floor of the arena, surrounded by mysterious ninja; all of which bore strange smiles.

Toku raised a hand and in a whoosh of wind they all disappeared through various hallways. The sandy haired teen stepped another meter closer; all that stood between them was ten meters of packed dust. Karu was quivering in utter fear, however, his emotions differed this time. He felt traces of anger and pride flowing through him as well.

_I won't be treated like a baby, not by this ass_. He clenched his fists against the dirt and grimaced. An intangible force pushed him from his knees to his buttocks. His hands were then fastened together by invisible hands.

_This is different_, he thought, usually he had an impossible task designated for him before anything happened.

"Now, Karu, I want you to try to do something, Orochimaru told me. He wants you to kill me."

The effect of the last two words of that sentence fell on Karu like a hammer.

"Do you think you can, Karu?" The saccharine voice of the black clad teenager drifted through the air, his violent eyes glimmering.

_"Get up."_ Karu heard the voice of the boy in front of him in his head.

"_Kill me."_ It came again and Karu rose to his feet, the unseen glue that held his body to the ground was absent and he readied himself.

There was absolutely nothing around him that could help him, no weapons, nothing. This battle would rely completely on his techniques when he was better with objects.

"Okay, are you ready, Toku? Friend?" sneered Karu, "Are you ready to die?"

"Oh, but of course Karu, friend, I'd be happy to fight you."

Karu shuddered as his sarcastic tone had just encouraged the syrupy tone of his enemy.

_Taijutsu is my second best trait, I hope it works. If it doesn't, my gen and nin skills aren't good enough and that eye thing won't really help since he's not trying to hide._

"Well," stated the wide-eyed creep, "Let's begin!"


End file.
